Enjoy the scents of freshly brewed coffee, delicious food and beautiful blooms at Queensberry Street’s newest café.
The newest addition to the Carlton café scene, Flovie, is a unique dual-space combining café and florist. But before you reach for the Oxford dictionary (or Google – get with the times Kali) to define ‘Flovie’, here’s how the story goes.
Flovie grafts the words flower, love and life. Co-owners Jia Wang and Valerie Wang combine their passions for food, coffee and flowers after having worked together at Jia’s first venture, White Mojo. Whilst Jia focuses on Flovie’s operations and coffee, Valerie unleashes her creative flare to produce unique floral arrangements. Thus the perfect business partnership is germinated.
As you mosey down Queensberry Street, you can’t miss the double-fronted two storey Victorian terrace painted lilac purple and its doorway surrounded by rare flower varieties.
Inside Flovie, exposed brick walls provide the ideal backdrop for Valerie’s striking floral arrangements and hanging floral garlands. Mixing the old with the new, the granite coffee station and floral workshop is offset by a haberdashery pigeon hole cabinet and piano. Like an Alice In Wonderland adventure, it felt like I had stumbled across a café in an enchanted forest where all was real and yet seeded with a touch of whimsy.
The Asian-fusion menu is sure to impress with a unique variety of dishes by Japanese-Filipino head chef Hiroshi Okuda. For something savoury, you must try the cha siu pulled pork and eggs benny. Perfectly cooked poached eggs drizzled in vibrant mandarin hollandaise rests atop pan fried mantou, with a side of cucumber, pickles and fried shallots.
If you’re like me and always order eggs but want to try something different, turn a new leaf and try the cold soba salad and crab meat. Crispy tofu with ginger soy dressing, pickled carrots, cucumber, coriander, sesame, lime wedge and fried shallots is a refreshing combo.
For those with a flourishing appetite and a craving for something more hearty, the lamb shank bourguignon with mashed potato, mushrooms, roasted green beans, roasted pickled onion and pomegranate is a satisfying dish.
The crowd favourite sweet dish is the Black Forest Souffle Hotcakes served with a tart cherry compote, chocolate crème anglaise, cherry chocolate ganache, masacarpone Chantilly and chocolate soil.
The drinks menu is equally impressive. Enjoy a coffee by White Mojo, or opt for a fragrant rose tea latte, with roasted pistachio and coconut milk. A range of unique ‘perfume’ mocktails are also available, each quirkily named after Disney Films. The Snow White, featuring lychee, strawberry rose, butterfly pea and edible flowers, is as beautiful as it is delicious.
As the new ‘bud’ in the flower bed of Melbourne’s cafe scene, Flovie is already making a name for itself. It won’t be long before its in full bloom and caught the eye of every foodie and floral lover in town.
Flovie also have a function space available for events that will sow the seeds for an unforgettable celebration.